TRIMMING THE EARS. 431 



carriage horses it is made to lie to the right side on the one, and 

 to the left on the other, the bare side of the neck being exposed. 

 From some, especially ponies, it is the custom to have the mane 

 shorn off nearly to the roots, only a few stumps being left to 

 stand perpendicularly. This is termed the hog-mane. It is 

 almost entirely out of fashion. To make a mane lie, the groom 

 combs and wets it several times a day ; he keeps it almost con- 

 stantly wet ; when thick, short, and bushy, he pulls away some 

 of the hair from the under side, that is, from the side to which 

 the mane inclines, or is wanted to incline. When that is not 

 sufficient, he plaits it into ten or fifteen cords, weaving into 

 each a piece of matting, and loading the extremity with a little 

 lead. After remaining in this state for several days, the plaiting 

 is undone, and the mane lies as it is wanted. "When it becomes 

 too long or too bushy, a few of the hairs are pulled out. This is 

 often done too harshly, and some horses have a great aversion 

 to it. In harness horses, that part of the mane which lies 

 directly behind the ears is usually cut away, that the head of 

 the bridle may sit fast. 



Heavy draught-horses should seldom have either the mane 

 or the tail thinned, and, to hang gracefully, it should be long in 

 proportion to its thickness. 



Trimming the Ears. — The inside of the ear is coated with fine 

 hair, which is intended by nature to exclude rain, flies, dirt, and 

 other foreign matters floating in the air. When left to itself, it 

 grows so long as to protrude considerably out of the ear, and to 

 give the horse a neglected, ungroomed-like appearance. It is a 

 common practice to trim all this hair away by the roots. But 

 it is a very stupid practice. The internal ear becomes exposed 

 to the intrusion of rain, dirt, and insects ; and though I know of 

 no disease arising from this cause, yet every horseman is aware 

 that it gives the horse mucli annoyance. Many are very unwil- 

 ling to face a blast of rain or sleet, and some will not. In the 

 fly-season, they are constantly throwing the head about as if 

 they would throw it off, and this is an inconvenience to either 

 rider or driver. The hair on the inside should not be cut from 

 any horse. It is easily cleaned by a gentle application of the 

 brush. When the hair grows too long, the points may be taken 

 off. This is done by closing the ear, and cutting away the hair 



